Youth Music - BongoClub.org.uk

The following story is a snap shot of one child who has cerebral palsy. We will call her Megan and the musician Michelle. Megan's experience with music had a positive effect on her well being, not just through her enjoyment of the music, but also through her muscle strength and motor coordination improving when she started picking up instruments and having a play.

Megan has difficulty with muscle control and gross and fine motor co-ordination due to her cerebral palsy. During the project Megan became very interested and engaged in the music. She joined in enthusiastically each time Michelle visited the setting. She also continued to join in with ideas from Michelle’s sessions that the Early Years Workers provided between her visits. The work that Michelle did in the sessions had an impact on Megan’s development that delighted the staff in the setting and Megan’s mother. Aspects that particularly supported Megan’s development in muscle strengthening and motor co-ordination were moving to music and using instruments. She enjoyed stamping her feet and clapping to the music. She watched Michelle very carefully

‘Megan is watching and listening carefully and bending her knees with Michelle, she is clapping and stamping her feet following Michelle’s lead’. (researcher observation)

Exploring the sound makers and instruments gave Megan the opportunities to develop her hand eye co-ordination.

‘She is hitting the chime bars in time to the music and aiming carefully to hit the middle of the bar, she misses sometimes but is getting much better at this’ (researcher observation)

The weight of some of the instruments caused Megan problems but she was so determined to be able to get a sound out of the instruments she found other solutions.

‘Megan is having trouble with the weight of the jingle stick but she has found a way of hitting it from underneath with her other hand, she is showing this to Michelle and the Early Years Worker with great pride’.

Over the two years of the music project Megan’s progress was noticeable. When she first started Michelle planned to give Megan opportunities to practice gripping beaters, tambourines, drums and other instruments to support her physical development. At first Megan was not able to play in time or copy rhythms that Michelle provided. Within three months Michelle noted

‘If I play a rhythm, she will attempt to join in and very often now she is able to play in time with me.’ (Musician’s observations)

Two months later

‘She has a very good ability to copy rhythms perfectly. Each time I’d tapped out a rhythm on the side of the Xylophone with a beater, she was able to copy it exactly as I had done.’ (Musician’s observation)

One month later

‘We all danced for a while making up dancing games and jumping up and down and then Megan came over to join us, immediately clapping her hands in time with the music. I began to tap different parts of my body to the music and the children would copy exactly what I was doing though not always in time with the music. Megan however, was able to copy me perfectly and stick to the beat of the song. I automatically started tapping my foot to the music and I noticed Megan looking at my feet and trying to copy what I was doing – again- perfectly in time with the music!! She has a fantastic sense of rhythm, which now is only slightly effected by her cerebral palsy in terms of holding instruments and being able to move quickly.’ (Musician’s reflective diary)

One month later

‘Megan started to play and repeat over and over a simple rhythm on the bamboo slit drum along to the CD. She played it over and over with complete focus on which part of the drum she was going to hit next. After what must have been a couple of minutes she turned to me and said ‘Miss Polly had a dolly?’ So we turned the CD off and sang her favourite song.’ (Musician’s reflective diary)

Three months later

Megan joined in as usual and asked to sing ‘Miss Polly had a dolly’ over and over again! This is a good way for Megan to improve her speech as she tries to join in the parts of the song she knows. Each week there is a slight improvement. I discussed Megan’s enthusiasm with the music with her mum today. I explained how well she was doing. I brought up her favourite song ‘Miss Polly’ and her Mum confirmed she liked to sing it sometimes before bedtime.

The above story took place over a year and the development was very marked. Music was an important vehicle through which this little girl enjoyed improving her movement, co-ordination, copying and vocalisation skills. The regular engagement with moving to music, singing her favourite songs (she did sing others beside Miss Polly!) and exploring the instruments whilst developing her technical skills at producing sounds all supported her physical co-ordination and speech. She also enjoyed the music for the pleasure of doing music for herself and with her friends and the adults in her world.